Communication device for establishing automated call back using queues

ABSTRACT

A communication device is provided for enabling a user to establish an automated call back from a communication system, such as a call center, for example. A software device application enables the communication device to communicate with the call center through the exchange of data. The communication device includes a display screen for displaying controls for allowing the user to interact with the communication system. The controls allow the user to request a list of providers from which to select a provider or company to contact. The communication device further provides controls for allowing the user to select a queue to join from a list of queues associated with the selected provider. An embodiment may also communicate contextual data between a communication device and a communication system, including information associated with the user of the communication device and information used to assist, instruct, or solve a user&#39;s problem.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/446,923, filed on Apr. 13, 2012, entitled “COMMUNICATION DEVICE FORESTABLISHING AUTOMATED CALL BACK USING QUEUES,” which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No.12/320,517, filed on Jan. 28, 2009, entitled “A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONDEVICE FOR ESTABLISHING AUTOMATED CALL BACK,” issued on Jul. 3, 2012 asU.S. Pat. No. 8,213,911, both of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The systems and methods relate to managing the queuing of clientswaiting to be connected by telephone to a service agent of a businesscommunication center. More particularly, the systems and methods relateto enabling clients to be added to a queue utilizing web servicemessaging and relate to establishing a telephony connection betweenclients and service agents on an automated basis and in an ordermaintained by a queue.

BACKGROUND

Many businesses use groups of service representatives for communicatingwith clients who initiate communications with the business, such as bytelephone calls. To most efficiently use the time and skills of eachservice representative, the service representatives may be organizedinto groups based on a skill set. For example, the groupings may bebased on the representatives ability to handle client issues such as theopening of new accounts, billing issues and customer service issues onexisting accounts.

Typically, if a client calls such a business, voice prompt menu choicesenable the calling client to identify the issue for which the clientrequires service and the client is then queued for a service agentcapable of handling the identified issue. As such, it is expected thatclients who identify the purpose of their call as a “billing issue” willbe queued for, and connected to, a service representative with theability to handle billing issues. Similarly, it is expected that clientswho identify the purpose of their call as a “customer service issue”will be queued for, and connected to, a service representative with theability to handle customer service issues.

There are problems with existing communications systems, such as contactcenters, including the following two problems. First, the voice promptmenus that are used to channel callers to the queue for the appropriategroup of service agents are exacerbating to a client at best. It takessignificant time to navigate the layered menus of voice prompts. Second,waiting on-hold while the telephone connection is maintained in queuefor connection to a service agent is also exacerbating to a client atbest.

In an effort to reduce customer exacerbation caused by having tomaintain a connection while on-hold in queue, secondary queue systemshave been developed. A typical secondary queue system obtains atelephone number at which the calling client can be reached when aservice representative is available (i.e., a call back number). Theclient disconnects, and then, at the proper time, a call back systemestablishes a connection to the client utilizing the call back numberand couples the client to an available representative without waitingon-hold in queue. One exemplary system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,563,921 to Williams et al. which is commonly assigned with the presentapplication.

While such a system may make the experience of waiting for a connectionto a service representative slightly less exacerbating, it does notaddress the inconvenience of having to navigate an irritatingly slow andusually complicated voice prompt menu to enter the queue.

Therefore, what is needed is: i) a method and system for adding clientsto a queue in a more convenient manner; and ii) a method and system forestablishing a telephony connection between the client and the serviceagents in an automated fashion.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a method for a communication system that receivesincoming communications from a communication device, has queues, andwill call-back to a communication receiving device is used. The methodincludes receiving data from the communication device (where the dataincludes an identifier associated with a communication receiving device)and determining, from the received data, a queue desired for theidentifier, where the queue is a service agent queue. The method furtherincludes (a) determining the expected wait time in the queue, (b)sending information to the communication device, where the informationincludes the expected wait time in the queue, and (c) assigning aplaceholder for the identifier in the queue. If a call back request isreceived from the communication device, the method includes initiating acall back to the communication receiving device based upon the assignedplaceholder in the queue and placing an outgoing telephone call to thecommunication receiving device.

Also, a method for use in a system that receives incoming communicationsfrom a communication device and will queue a call back is described.

In an embodiment, a communication system for receiving incomingcommunications from communication devices and for initiating a call-backincludes a sequence component that initiates a call-back sequence to acommunication receiving device. In this embodiment, the sequencecomponent is in communication with a communication device and, based onthe communication, the sequence component determines a queue andconfirms a call back. The system further includes a queue componenthaving more than one queue, where a placeholder is assigned for anidentifier associated with the communication receiving device in thedetermined queue. The system also includes an expected wait timecomponent for determining the expected wait time in the determinedqueue. The expected wait time is provided to the sequence component andthe sequence component communicates information regarding the expectedwait time to the communication device. The system of this embodimentfurther includes a call-back component for placing an outgoing call tothe communication receiving device, where the sequence component promptsthe call back component to place the outgoing call.

In addition, a computer-readable medium including instructions forinitiating a call-back sequence is described.

In an embodiment, a communication device for initiating a call-backsequence includes a display screen, a processor for executing a deviceapplication and a memory for storing the device application. The deviceapplication includes a queue control, where the queue control displays,on the screen, an indication of a queue and obtains a user selection ofthe queue as a selected queue. The device application further includesan expected wait time client, where a sequence component sends anexpected wait time services call and receives an indication of theexpected wait time, and where the expected wait time services callincludes identification of the selected queue. The device applicationalso includes a confirmation control to display, on the screen, theindication of the expected wait time where a user selection of one of aconfirmation command and a cancel command is obtained. The deviceapplication includes a confirmation wait time client that generates aconfirmation services call to the sequence component in response to userselection of the confirmation command, the confirmation services callincludes at least a communication receiving device identifier and aninstruction to add the communication device identifier to the selectedqueue.

A computer readable medium including instructions for a communicationdevice to initiate a call-back sequence in a communication system isalso described.

In addition to requesting an expected wait time and callback from thecommunication system, an embodiment of a system and method for managing,directing, and queuing communication events may also communicatecontextual data between a communication device and a communicationsystem using, for example, a contextual data routine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram representing an exemplary architecture of asystem for sequencing communication devices in a selected queue of aselected provider;

FIG. 1B illustrates an embodiment of the system that uses a homeentertainment device to initiate a telephone connection and/or callback;

FIG. 1C illustrates an embodiment of the system that uses a kiosk, e.g.,a boarding pass kiosk at an airport, to initiate a telephone connectionand/or callback;

FIG. 1D illustrates an embodiment of the system that uses a point ofpurchase device to initiate a telephone connection and/or callback;

FIG. 2 is a flow-chart of a method for call back sequencing;

FIG. 3A is a flow-chart of a method for assigning a placeholder in aqueue for a call back to a communication device;

FIG. 3B is a block diagram representing an exemplary architecture of asystem for sequencing communication devices in a selected queue of aselected provider;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary queue component;

FIG. 5A is an exemplary communication device adapted for operation;

FIG. 5B is an exemplary communication device adapted for operation inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a table representing an exemplary provider control and anexemplary service control in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 7A-7D represent exemplary messaging structures packaged withtransport layer and media layer information;

FIG. 8A is a flow chart representing exemplary operation of an activeproviders service or method in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 8B is an exemplary active providers data storage in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8C is a flow chart representing exemplary operation of an activequeues service or method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8D is an exemplary active queues data storage in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8E is a flow chart representing exemplary operation of an expectedwait time service or method in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 8F is a flow chart representing exemplary operation of anad-to-queue method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of the system that communicatescontextual data between a communication device and a communicationsystem;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for usewith a communication device for initiating a call-back for selecting avoice call-back;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for acommunication system that receives incoming communications from acommunication device, has queues, and will call-back to a communicationreceiving device; and

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of a method fora communication system that receives incoming communications from acommunication device, has queues, and will call-back to a communicationreceiving device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe drawings. In the drawings, each element with a reference number issimilar to other elements with the same reference number independent ofany letter designation following the reference number. In the text, areference number with a specific letter designation following thereference number refers to the specific element with the number andletter designation and a reference number without a specific letterdesignation refers to all elements with the same reference numberindependent of any letter designation following the reference number inthe drawings.

It should also be appreciated that many of the elements discussed inthis specification may be implemented in a hardware circuit(s), aprocessor executing software code which is encoded within computerreadable media accessible to the processor, or a combination of ahardware circuit(s) and a processor or control block of an integratedcircuit executing machine readable code encoded within a computerreadable media. As such, the term circuit, module, server, or otherequivalent description of an element as used throughout thisspecification is intended to encompass a hardware circuit (whetherdiscrete elements or an integrated circuit block), a processor orcontrol block executing code encoded in a computer readable media, or acombination of a hardware circuit(s) and a processor and/or controlblock executing such code.

It should also be appreciated that the table structures represented inthis application are exemplary only and intended to show the mapping ofrelationships between various data elements. Other table structures maystore similar data elements in various manners. Further, the applicant'suse of the term “plurality” is intended to indicate not just “at leastone”, but one, two, three, or any other quantity. The applicant's use ofthe term “group” is intended to indicate not just “at least one”, buttwo, three, or more of the items within the group.

FIG. 1A is a high level schematic illustration of a system 10 forplacing a communication device 11 in a queue and calling a communicationreceiving device 50. The system 10 includes the communication device 11,a network 25, a call back component 15, a queue component 20, a sequencecomponent 22, and the communication receiving device 50.

The system 10 assigns a placeholder for a communication device 11 (or anidentifier for a communication device 11 such as its telephone number orother unique network identifier) in a selected queue (not shown inFIG. 1) of the queue component 20. The system uses a sequence component22 to execute a call back sequence to a communication receiving device50. When prompted, the call back component 15 places an outgoing call toa communication receiving device 50. The outgoing call attempts toestablish a voice connection with the communication receiving device 50.

The communication receiving device 50 may be any device that can receivea telephone call. The communication receiving device 50 is often thecommunication device 11 that sent the initial data requesting atelephone connection.

In some embodiments, prior to allowing communication between acommunication device 11 and the system 10, the system 10 performs one ormore security checks. These security checks can be performed for avariety of purposes including to ensure that the software on thecommunication device 11 is authentic and valid for use on the device andthat the device is authorized. Various software routines may be used bythe system 10 and the communication device 11 to perform securitychecks. Encryption keys may be assigned to the communication devices 11and used for the security check.

In an embodiment, the identifier for a communication device 11 is anencryption key. Each software application for communicating with thesystem 10 on a communication device 11 may have one or more uniqueencryption keys that are recognized by the system 10.

The network 25 (depicted by a cloud) can be any one or more of a varietyof networks. The system 10 shown can support many communication devices11 of various types and many queues (not shown in FIG. 1). Thecommunication device 11 may communicate with the other componentsthrough the network using available techniques.

The communication device 11 may be a mobile communication device usingcell phone, wi-fi, satellite or other mobile communication technology.The communication device may take the form of any mobile device such asa cellular telephone, a tablet, or a laptop. The communication device 11may also be a non-mobile device, such as a home entertainment device, akiosk, a computer, or a point of purchase device, as shown in FIGS.1B-1D.

FIG. 1B illustrates an embodiment of the system 10 that uses a homeentertainment device 102 (e.g., a set top box, a television, a cablebox, a gaming console, a digital video disk (DVD) player or somecombination) to initiate a telephone connection and/or callback. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the communication device 11 is a homeentertainment device 102. The home entertainment device 102 is typicallyconnected to a display 104. The display 104 is used to show queues,phone numbers, company names, a companies services departments or thelike. The display 104 may display a number to call in order to receive aparticular program or to access a particular channel from a cablecompany, for example. The display 104 may display an expected wait time106. The display 104 may also display a box 108 that allows a user toselect and enter a phone number for a callback. After the expected waittime (or an approximately equivalent time) has passed, the system 10places an outgoing call to a communication receiving device (not shown)having the phone number provided by the user. The home entertainmentdevice 102 may optionally include a remote control (not shown) tonavigate callback menus that provide a list of queues and their expectedwait time, if any exist. Other user interface devices and software canbe used with the home entertainment system.

FIG. 1C illustrates an embodiment of the system 10 that uses a kiosk112, e.g., a boarding pass kiosk at an airport, to initiate a telephoneconnection and/or callback. In this embodiment, the communication device11 is the kiosk 112. The kiosk 112 typically includes a display 114 thatshows an expected wait time 116 for a requested telephone connection.The display 114 may also display a box 118 that allows a user to enter aphone number for a callback. After the expected wait time (or anapproximately equivalent time) has passed, the system 10 places anoutgoing call to a communication receiving device (not shown) having thephone number provided by the user.

FIG. 1D illustrates an embodiment of the system 10 in which thecommunication device 11 is the point of purchase device 112. The pointof purchase device 122 may take various forms e.g., a cell phone planpurchase device. In this embodiment, the point of purchase device 122 isused to initiate a telephone connection and/or callback. The point ofpurchase device 122 typically includes a display 124 that shows anexpected wait time 126 for a requested telephone connection. The display124 may also display a box 128 that allows a user to enter a phonenumber available for a callback. After the expected wait time (or anapproximately equivalent time) has passed, the system 10 places anoutgoing call to a communication receiving device (not shown) having thephone number provided by the user. Alternatively, a microphone andspeaker may be provided at the point of purchase location or on thepoint of purchase device 122.

Referring now to FIG. 2, shown is a flow chart of an exemplaryembodiment of a method for initiating a call-back sequence in acommunication system, such as a call center or contact center, forexample. The method 200 includes receiving data from a communicationdevice 11 (205), determining a queue for the data (210), determining theexpected wait time in the queue (215) for the data and sending theexpected wait time in the queue to a communication device 11 (220). Themethod further includes assigning a placeholder for the data in thequeue (225). If a call back request is received from the communicationdevice 11, the method includes initiating a call back to a communicationreceiving device 50. The method further includes placing an outgoingcall to a communication receiving device 50 (235). The steps of themethod may be performed in various different orders or chronology.

As noted above, the communication receiving device 50 may be any devicethat can receive a telephone call. The communication receiving device 50is often the communication device 11 that sent the initial datarequesting a telephone connection.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method 300 for assigning aplaceholder in a queue for a call back to a communication device 11 in acommunication system. The description of the method 300 in FIG. 3A alsoreferences components and routines found in FIG. 3B. The method 300 ofFIG. 3A includes the sequence component 22 receiving a request for alist of active providers from a communication device 11. This may be inthe form of an active provider remote processing call 48 from a providerclient routine 34 (305). The provider client 34 is a routine which ispart of the session queuing component 24. The active provider remoteprocessing call 48 originates from the communication device 11 andserves as the request for a list of active providers. The activeproviders may be associated with a user of the communication device 11.Upon receipt of the active provider remote processing call 48, thesequence component 22 launches an active provider routine 26. Theroutine generates a list of active providers associated with the user(310) of the communication device 11.

The method 300 further includes active provider routine 26 sending alist of active providers to the communication device 11 via an activeproviders message 50. More particularly, the provider client routine 34in the session queuing component 24 receives active providers message 50(315).

The method 300 further includes receiving a request for active queues inthe queue component 20 via an active queue remote processing call 52from the communication device 11 (320). The active queue remoteprocessing call 52 serves as a request for a listing of active queuesassociated with the selected provider to an active queue routine orprocess 28 of the sequence component 22. The listing is populated intothe service control 40 of the session queuing component 24.

The exemplary method 300 of FIG. 3A further includes sending activequeues, via an active queues message 54, from active queue routine 28 toservice client routine 38. The service client routine 38 in this exampleis resident on the communication device 11 (325). The active queuesmessage 54 includes active queues wherein an identifier of acommunication device 11 may be placed.

The method 300 further includes receiving a request for the expectedwait time for receiving a call back from a provider. The expected waittime may be received via an expected wait time call 56 from thecommunication device 11 (330). Upon the user selecting a queue using theservice control 40, the expected wait time client 42 generates anexpected wait time call 56 to the sequence component 22. The method 300includes the expected wait time routine 30 sending a request 62 for theexpected wait time to the expected wait time component 18 (within thequeue component 20) (335) and receiving the expected wait time 64 (340)from the expected wait time component 18.

With continuing reference to FIG. 3A, the method 300 further includessending an expected wait time message 58 to the communication device 11(345). More particularly, the expected wait time message 58 is sent fromthe expected wait time routine 30, of the sequence component 22, to anexpected wait time client 42 of the session queuing component 24. Themethod 300 further includes receiving a confirmation call 60 from thecommunication device 11. More particularly, the confirmation calloriginates from confirmation client 46 (part of the session queuingcomponent 24) and is sent to the confirmation routine 32 (350) of thesequence component 22. The method 300 further includes sending a requestvia a message 66 to the queue component 20 to add user's identifier tothe selected queue (355).

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a telephone basedsystem 10 showing multiple communication devices 11 a-11 d and multiplebusiness communication centers 14 a-14 c. Each business communicationcenter 14 a-14 c is typically associated with a company for which thebusiness communication center 14 a-14 c is operated. The system 10includes sequence component 22 and a session queuing component 24. Thesequence component 22 performs the call back sequencing of thecommunication devices 11 a-11 d. The session queuing component 24resides within a communication device 11 and can be loaded onto eachcommunication device 11 a-11 d.

With continuing reference to FIG. 3B, each business communication center(using business communication center 14 a for reference) may beassociated with a company and comprise a group of service agents 12.Each of the service agents 12 may be a service representative system forenabling a service representative to service a client. Morespecifically, the service representative may participate in an audiosession with a communication device 11 and service the requests of eachclient, or routine, of the session queuing component 24. The serviceagents 12 may be organized in a single service agent set grouped intomultiple service agent sets based on the skill set of service agentoperators (e.g., the operators of the service agents 12 at acommunication system).

In an embodiment, the business communication center 14 a has at leastone computer system including a processor operating the queue component20, and memory. In general, the queue component 20 is adapted tomaintain a group of queues 16 a, 16 b with each queue 16 a, 16 b beingassociated with one of sets 12 a, 12 b of the group of service agents12. For example the set of service agents 12 a may be associated withqueue 16 a while the second set of service agents 12 b may be associatedwith queue 16 b.

In an embodiment, the queue component 20 identifies a sequential orderof the devices 11 w, 11 x, 11 y, and 11 z, which are queued forconnection to one of the service agents 12.

Expected wait time component 18 is adapted to determine an expected waittime value representing the time at which service agents 12 within theparticular service agent group are expected to be available to service aclient. The expected wait time can be calculated or determined in anumber of different ways.

The expected wait time value may represent an estimated wait timecalculated using primary estimated wait time techniques such asprojecting a wait time based on the quantity of clients in the queue andany of a historical, present, or projected time allotment for handlingeach such queued client. Alternatively, the expected wait time value maybe a function of both a primary estimated wait time calculation and await time augmentation calculation made based on service agentavailability and/or scheduled change in service agent availability asdisclosed in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 11/143,857 filed onJun. 2, 2005 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.Such patent application is incorporated herein by reference.

The sequence component 22 may be embodied as a web services server. Inone embodiment, the sequence component is connected to the internet andincludes appropriate web services messaging systems (i.e., Simple ObjectAccess Protocol or SOAP) for communicating with the session queuingcomponent 24 on the devices 11 a-11 d. In an embodiment, the sequencecomponent 22 communicates with queue component 20.

The sequence component 22 may include a processor (not shown) forexecuting the web services messaging systems as well as otherapplications stored on a memory (not shown). Such other applications maycomprise an active provider routine 26, an active queue routine 28, anexpected wait time routine 30, and a confirmation routine 32.

The session queuing component 24 may include a number of routinesincluding for example, a provider client 34, a company or providercontrol 36, a queue or service client 38, a queue or service control 40,an expected wait time client 42, a confirmation control 44 and aconfirmation client 46.

It should be appreciated that each of the routines of the sessionqueuing component 24 are exemplary and for illustrative purposes. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the systems and functions of eachroutine described herein may be implemented by way of other permutationsof components and sub systems.

In an embodiment, the session queuing component 24 may be an embeddedapplication of a communication device 11. In another embodiment, thesession queuing component may be a java script, ActiveX, or othersimilar structure downloaded and executed by a browser and an applicablebrowser plug-in executing on the telephone 11. In this embodiment, thesession queuing component 24 may include a combination of the javascript or ActiveX control and components of the browser and/or theplug-in, which in combination drive operation of the session queuingcomponent 24.

In an embodiment, the session queuing component 24 communicates with thesequence component 22 using web service messages and internet protocol.In an embodiment, the session queuing component 24 obtains userselection of a provider (from a group of providers) with which the userdesires to communicate via a telephone communication session. Thesession queuing component 24 may also obtain user selection of a serviceof the selected provider (from a group of services) and an estimatedwait time representing a duration of time the user can be expected towait until connecting to the selected services. Session queuingcomponent 24 confirms, after presenting the expected wait time to theuser, that the user desires to connect to a service agent 12. Morespecifically, it confirms that the user wishes to speak with aparticular type of service agent 12. The session queuing component 24assists in placing the user in a queue for the user to receive a callback from the service agent 12 at a connection time.

The connection time may be when the user reaches the first position inthe queue (i.e., after other clients in the selected queue prior to theclient have all been connected to available service agents or abandonedtheir position in the queue selected) and a service agent becomesavailable, or at a specific scheduled time. The specific scheduled timemay be a time calculated by adding the expected wait time to the time atwhich the expected wait time was presented to the user. The specificscheduled time may also be a time selected by the user.

The term “provider” is used interchangeably with the term “businesscommunication center” or the “provider's business communication center”within this application, and the term “queue” is used interchangeablywith the term “service” or the “queue for connection to a service agentproviding the selected service.”

FIG. 4, is a block diagram of an embodiment of queue component 20. Thequeue component 20 may include primary queue 17 (ACD) adapted to queuecommunication devices 11 while maintaining the telephony connection(e.g., communication devices “on-hold”), a secondary queue component 19,a call back component 15 adapted to establish a telephony connection tocommunication device 11 for which a telephony connection is notmaintained by the primary queue 17, and an expected wait time component18.

The primary queue 17 may be embodied in a primary automated calldirector (ACD). In an embodiment, the ACD places in a queue clienttelephone connections which are “on-hold” waiting for a service agent12. Such an ACD may use known technology adapted to (1) receive incomingcalls from the communication device 11 (e.g., establishing a clientconnection with each) (2) identify which group of service agents thecaller desires to connect (including using primary voice prompts) and(3) place the call in a queue for connection to the identified serviceagent group. If one of the service agents 12 within a service agentgroup becomes available, the ACD connects a next client connection fromthe queue to the available service agent 12.

The secondary queue component 19 may be coupled to a primary queue 17 asan accessory device. The secondary queue component 19 maintains thequeue position of the communication device 11 in a manner that does notrequire the communication device 11 to remain “on hold” or otherwisemaintain an active telephone connection with the primary queue 17. Morespecifically, for a communication device 11 calling the communicationcenter utilizing the primary queue 17, the secondary queue component 19may (1) obtain a network address for the communication device 11 (e.g.,a telephone network call back telephone number or other telephonenetwork address) and (2) write the network address of the telephoneconnection to a record of the queuing table (for example record 224 inthe event a user of communication device 11 a calls the communicationcenter in a primary manner). Further, the secondary queue component 19may, at the appropriate connection time, (3) induce the call back system15 to establish a connection to the communication device 11 utilizingthe call back number. Inducing the call back system 15 to establish theconnection may include generating a call back message 220 to the callback system 15.

The secondary queue component 19 may also (e.g., communication devices11 being added to a queue utilizing telephone system 10), obtain anetwork address of a telephone connection to the communication device 11(e.g., a telephone network call back telephone number or other telephonenetwork address) via the messaging discussed above with respect tomessages 62, 64, and 66 in FIG. 3B. The secondary queue component 19 maywrite the network address of the telephone connection to a record of thequeuing table (for example record 226 in the event a user ofcommunication device 11 b utilizing system 10 for being added to queue16 a), and at the appropriate connection time, induce the call backsystem 15 to establish a connection to a communication device 11utilizing the call back number. Inducing the call back system 15 toestablish the connection may include generating a call back message 220to the call back system 15. The call back message 220 may includeidentification of the telephone number to which the call back system 15is to establish a telephone connection and identifying the queue 16 a,16 b and/or service agent group 12 a, 12 b to which the telephoneconnection is to be connected.

After the call back system 15 has established a connection with thecommunication device 11, it may generate a priority connection to theavailable service agent 12 within the appropriate service agent group 12a, 12 b.

The priority connection 222 may be a transfer 222 a of the communicationdevice 11 connection to the primary queue 17. Transfer 222 a may occurvia a command such that the primary queue 17 connects the client to thenext available one of the service agents 12 within the required serviceagent group 12 a-12 b (e.g., places the client at the front of thequeue). The priority connection 222 may also be a connection 222 bdirectly to the next available service agent 12, bypassing primary queue17.

The secondary queue system 19 may comprise a secondary queue application91 and a secondary queue table 93. The secondary queue table 93maintains, for each communication device 11 being handled by thesecondary queue component 19, call back information. In more detail,secondary queue table 93 may comprise a plurality of records 95. Eachrecord 95 associates a client identifier 97 with a call back telephonenumber 101 (or other network identifier) to which a telephone connectionmay be established with the subject communication device 11, or othercommunication receiving device 50 at a connection time 103. Secondaryqueue table 93 may also include a service agent ID 99 identifying theservice agent 120, or subset of the group of service agents to which theclient 11 is to be connected.

In one aspect, the secondary queue application 91 monitors the passageof time and, upon determining that time has advanced to the connectiontime 103 of one of the records 95 of the secondary queue table 93,drives the call back system 15 to establish a telephony connection tothe subject client. Again, the telephony connection may be a primaryPSTN connection or a telephony connection using an alternativetechnology such as VoIP.

After establishing the telephony connection, the priority connection toa service agent 12 within the required service agent group is generated.

The expected wait time component 18 may be part of the secondary queuesystem 19, part of the primary queue (ACD) 17, or a separate accessorysystem interoperating with the secondary queue system 19 and the primaryqueue (ACD) 17.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, each device 11 may include user interface 90inclusive of display screen 92 and controls 94 (such as keys, touchpanel, or other controls) for operation of controls rendered on thedisplay screen (keys are represented), memory 96, and processor 98 forexecuting applications encoded in the memory 96.

The applications encoded in memory 96 may include a telephoneapplication 100, and/or appropriate systems adapted to drive operationof the user interface, and the session queuing component 24.

The telephone application 100 may be adapted to signal, establish, andmaintain an audio communication session (either as the session initiatoror receiver) with remote endpoint devices over compatible networks(PSTN, VoIP, and other networks utilized for audio communicationsessions). The endpoint devices include the business communicationcenter systems 14 for signaling, establishing, and maintaining audiocommunication sessions between each service agent 12 and the businessclients, each of which may utilize one of the communication devices 11for communication with the business.

The session queuing component 24 may include a launch object 74 renderedas a “My Providers” icon on the display screen 92 and adapted to launchoperation of the session queuing component 24 upon detecting userselection of the launch object 74.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, for purposes of performing the above describedfunctions, visible objects of the session queuing component 24(following activation by selection of the launch icon 74 as depicted inFIG. 5A) include a provider control 36, a service control 40, and aconfirmation control 44.

The confirmation control 44 may include a window 44 a for confirming theidentifier of a communication device 11 (i.e., the call back telephonenumber utilized to establish an inbound telephone call to thecommunication device 11 or other unique “call back” identifier used toestablish an audio session with the communication device 11), an acceptcontrol object 44 b and a cancel control object 44 c.

In an exemplary embodiment, the telephone number of the communicationdevice 11 may be pre-populated to the window object 44 a with the windowobject being active to enable the user to modify the telephone number inthe event he or she desires the call back to be at a different telephonestation.

The cancel control object 44 c may be a selection button adapted todetect user selection. Upon detecting user selection, cancel controlobject 44 c may be adapted to terminate operation of the session queuingcomponent.

The accept control object 44 b may be a selection button adapted tolaunch the confirmation client 46 upon user selection.

Upon launch of the session queuing component 24 the visible objects ofthe session queuing component 24 may be rendered on the display screen92 as depicted in FIG. 5B.

The provider control 36 may be rendered in an active state with thegroup of providers 78 (FIG. 6) populated into its drop down menu. Fromthis menu, the user may select providers from the selected businesscommunication center. The service control 40 is shown in an activestate. The service control 40 and the confirmation control 44 may berendered in an inactive state (i.e., rendered with no populated data,inoperable, and rendered with a gray tint to indicate the inactivestate). In an embodiment, the provider client 34 (shown in FIG. 3B)populates the provider control 36 with a listing of the providers fromthe group of providers 78.

Referring now to FIG. 6, shown is an illustration of the providercontrol 36. The provider control 36 may be a drop down menu controlwhich displays a group of providers 78. From this menu, the user mayselect a provider from the selected business communication center.

The service control 40 may be a drop down menu control (as representedby 40 a, 40 b) which displays, for the selected provider, theservices/queues of a group of services/queues 80 a, 80 b associated withthe selected provider's business communication center. A user may selecta service from this menu.

Exemplary providers include Company A and Company B. For purposes ofillustration, Company A may be a utility company and its services/queuesassociated with its business communication center may include aservice/queue for reporting loss of services, a service/queue forhandling billing matters, and a default service/queue for handling othermatters.

Company B, for illustration, may be a bank and its services/queuesassociated with its business communication center may include a servicefor handling of checking, savings, or other deposit accounts, a servicefor handling credit card accounts, a service for handling mortgageaccounts, and a default service for handling other matters.

FIG. 7A, shows an exemplary embodiment of a structure for communicationsor messages passing between the communication devices 11 and serviceproviders. In this example, the structure of an active providers remoteprocessing call 48 is shown. The structure may be an XML structure 100with applicable SOAP or other remote processing call protocolinformation 102. The exemplary structure includes at least a methodidentifier 104, which identifies the active provider routine or process26 as the remote process, and data arguments 106 for the active providerroutine 26. The data arguments 106 may include at least identificationof the user.

The remote processing call 48 may be encapsulated within appropriateTCP/IP and HTTP headers and other transport layer information 108 suchas source IP address and source port number of the requesting device 11and destination IP address and destination port number of the sequencecomponent 22. Such combination may be encapsulated within appropriatemedia layer protocols 110 for transmission across physical communicationmedia via various physical layer segments interconnecting the requestingdevice 11 and the sequence component 22.

FIGS. 7B-7D show exemplary structures of other messages orcommunications within system 10 similar to that of active providersremote processing call 48. The other communications that may besimilarly structured, encapsulated, and transported may include theactive queue remote processing call 52 (FIG. 7B), expected wait timecall 56 (FIG. 7C), add-to-queue remote processing call 154, the activeproviders message 50, the active queue message 54, the expected waittime message 58, and the confirmation remote processing call 60 (FIG.7D), for example.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the active providerroutine 26 includes a looking up (at step 112) in an active providersdata store 200, a list of active providers associated with the user. Theactive providers data store 200 and may include a group of records 202,with each record associating a user ID 204 with identification of agroup of active providers 202 associated with the user ID 204. Step 114represents building an active providers message 50 (shown in FIG. 3A)for return to the device generating the active providers remoteprocessing call 48 (shown in FIG. 3A).

It should be appreciated that the above described structure andprocesses for populating the provider control 36 is exemplary only.Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the list of providerscould be obtained and stored within the communication device 11. A listof providers stored within the communication device 11 may then be usedfor populating both the provider control 36 and the active queue control40. Upon a user selecting a provider from the list of active providers78 rendered or shown within the provider control, the service clientroutine 38 requests a listing of active queues from the active queueroutine or process 28 of the sequence component 22. The service clientroutine 38 populates the service control 40 with a listing of activequeues associated with the selected provider.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 8C and FIG. 8D, the active queueroutine or process 28 includes looking up (at step 126) in an activequeues data store 208, a list of active queues associated with theselected provider. The active queues data store 208 may include a groupof records 210, with each record associating a company ID 212(identifying a provider) with identification of a group of active queues214 associated with the company ID 212. The build active queues list(step 128) represents building an active queues message 54 (describedabove) for return to the device generating the active queue remoteprocessing call 52 (described above).

Upon receipt of the active queues message 54, by service client routine38, the service control 40 is populated by the list of active queues 80a as discussed with respect to FIG. 5B and FIG. 6.

It should be appreciated that the above described structure andprocesses for populating the service control 40 is exemplary only. Thoseskilled in the art will also recognize that lists of active queues foreach provider could be obtained and stored within the communicationdevice 11 utilizing one or more remote processing calls prior to userselection. As such, list of providers and active queues stored withinthe communication device 11 may then be used to populate both theprovider control 36 and the active queue control 40. It is furtherenvisioned that both the provider control 36 and the service control 40may be combined within a single control listing combinations of aprovider and a service.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 8E, the expected wait time routineor process 30 includes obtaining (at step 134) from the expected waittime component 18 associated with the selected queue of the selectedprovider, the expected wait time for the selected queue. Such step mayinclude sending a remote processing call to the expected wait timecomponent with data arguments (of the remote processing call) includingidentification of the selected queue. The return expected wait time tocalling device (step 136) represents the expected wait time component 18building an expected wait time message 58. The expected wait timemessage can then be sent to the device generating the expected wait timeremote processing call 56.

Referring back to FIG. 5B, upon receipt of the expected wait timeresponse message 58, the expected wait time value 148 identifying theexpected wait time duration of time is rendered on the display screen asdepicted by reference numeral 82. Following display of theidentification of the duration of time, the confirmation control 44 maybe activated for obtaining user input.

As discussed, the confirmation control may include a window 44 a forconfirming a telephone number of the communication device 11 or thecommunication receiving device 50 (i.e., the telephone number utilizedto establish an inbound telephone call to the communication device 11 orthe communication receiving device 50), a confirmation control 44 b anda cancel control 44 c.

In an exemplary embodiment, the telephone number of the communicationdevice 11 may be pre-populated to the window object 44 a with the windowobject being active to enable the user to modify the telephone number inthe event he or she desires the call back to be at a different telephonestation, such as the communication receiving device 50.

The cancel control 44 c may be a selection button adapted to detect userselection. Upon detecting user selection, the cancel control object maybe adapted to terminate operation of the session queuing component.

The accept control object 44 b may be a selection button adapted tolaunch the confirmation client 46 upon user selection.

The confirmation client 46 (shown in FIG. 3A) may be adapted to send aconfirmation remote processing call 60 to the sequence component 22 viathe message structure described above. In this instance, the dataarguments may include at least the identification of a telephone numberor other telephone network address of the communication receiving device50 or communication device 11 that the user desires for use in theconnection to the service agent. Typically such identification will be aPSTN telephone number that the provider systems will use as a “call backnumber” to establish a telephone connection between the user and aservice agent at the appropriate call back time.

Further, the arguments of the confirmation remote processing call mayinclude identification of the selected provider and selected queue whichthe user desires to join. Alternatively, the arguments may include asession ID matched to previous remote processing calls such that thesequence component may determine the selected provider and selectedqueue which the user desires to join.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 8F, the confirmation routine orprocess 32 includes (at step 216) generating an add-to-queue instruction217. The instruction may include for example, a queue ID of the selectedqueue and the call back number (e.g., the telephone network identifierof the communication receiving device 50) in a format compatible fortransmission to the selected business communication center's systems.The step 218 of passing the add-to-queue instruction 217 to the queuecomponent 20 of the selected provider is shown in FIG. 8F. This stepincludes packaging the SOAP formatted add-to-queue instruction withapplicable transport layer and media layer for transmission as discussedabove. Upon receipt, the queue component 20 of the selected provider mayadd the user to the selected queue.

Referring to FIG. 9, in addition to requesting an expected wait time andcallback from the communication system, an embodiment of a system andmethod for managing, directing, and queuing communication events mayalso communicate contextual data 900 between a communication device 920(which includes a session queuing component 922) and a communicationsystem 940 using, for example, a contextual data routine. The contextualdata 900 may be sent to the communication system 940 by itself or alongwith a callback request. The contextual data 900 can be stored in astorage 924 and can include any information associated with the user ofthe communication device, such as name, phone number, address, accountnumber, unique identifier, id number or unique identifier for phone, idnumber or unique identifier for a car or vehicle, credit score, productsand services owned/used, purchase history, GPS or location information,demographics, personal data such as height, weight, shirt size, waistsize, shoe size, current medications, etc. The storage 924 can be anymemory means, including a memory, such as RAM, ROM or similar types ofmemory, as well as secondary storage devices, such as a hard disk drive,floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive, or other types of non-volatile datastorage. The contextual data 900 associated with the user can alsoinclude for example data about a process, installation or instructionsset for example which steps or parts of self-service/technical supportsteps were performed/completed/not completed, which steps of aninstallation were completed, or which portion of an instructional manualor process were completed. Also, data about a device or vehicle can besent as contextual data 900 about or from, for example, a kiosk, pointof sale device, airplane ticket machine, automobile, cell phone, etc.

In some embodiments, contextual data 900 is encrypted prior totransmission. For example, various methods of encryption may be usedwhen transmitting contextual data from the user device to a centrallocation or system.

The contextual data 900 of a user that is sent from the communicationdevice 920 or other device to the communication system 940 may allow thecommunication system 940 to dynamically select a proper list ofproviders and/or queues that are specific, pertinent, and relevant tothe user. As a result, only relevant and pertinent lists of providersand/or queues are displayed to the user. Other providers and queues thatare not relevant based on the contextual data 900 are filtered out.

In some embodiments, contextual data 900 is used for authentication. Useof contextual data may also allow the communication system 940 to bypassauthentication processes, thus shortening the total interaction time.Systems can either assume that the caller on the communication device920 is the owner of the device and thus authenticate using deviceinformation (such as ID number of the like) or data about a userresident on the device. Alternatively, a system with contextual datacapability can present a shortened number of questions or queries forbiographical or biometric data for authentication of the current user.For example, contextual data 900 can contain key information about auser of a device which can be used to authenticate the user or thedevice when a call (or connection) is made from the device. Contextualdata 900 may contain one or more phone numbers, pin codes, name,personal identification, personal biographical data or biodata, personalbiometric data (e.g. voice print, fingerprint, handprint, iris scan, orthe like), credit card number and/or passwords that can be used toauthenticate the user.

In some embodiments, for authentication, a user is requested to enter orsubmit biometric data such as voice, fingerprint, handprint, iris info,etc. Ancillary equipment may be used to obtain the biometrics (such as afingerprint reader or scanner). This biometric data is transmitted ascontextual data 900 to a central system for authentication. The centralsystem compares the received biometric with that on file or in storage.The comparison is used to authenticate the user and provide customized,personalized and/or targeted services.

In an alternative embodiment, personal contextual data 900 is stored onthe phone but locked, that is access and the ability to transmit thiscontextual data 900 from the phone to other devices is available only toa particular user. Contextual data 900 may be stored in encrypted formatand only decrypted after it is “unlocked” or proper security measuresare cleared. The contextual data 900 can be released from lock-down byvarious security means or measures such as pin number, personalidentification, biometrics and/or password. In one embodiment, thesecurity measure used to release the contextual data from lock down isvoice print or voice identification. For example, the user speaks intothe device for authentication. More specifically, the words to be spokenmay be selected by the device from among a database of voice samplessaved for this security purpose. After a voice sample is obtained fromthe current device user a comparison is made. If a voice match is found,the contextual data 900 is unlocked from the security measures and maybe released for use and transmission. If the security measures are notmet, the contextual data 900 remains locked and unavailable to theperson in possession of the communication device 920. The contextualdata 900 unlocked by voice matching or identification may be transmittedencrypted or unencrypted to a central location or system for use.

In addition, the contextual data 900 of a user/customer may be sent fromthe communication device 920 or other device to an agent orrepresentative connected to the communication system 940 so that theagent or representative can better assist the user/customer. Thecontextual data may be maintained or stored in a database in memory forlater use.

As also described elsewhere, contextual data 900 flows from thecommunication device 920 to a communication system 940 as well as fromthe communication system 940 to the communication device 920. In certaininstances, it may be useful to transmit the contextual data 900 fromeither the communication device 920 or communication system 940 to athird location. Questions and queries of the user may be sent from thecommunication system 940 to the communication device 920. Contextualdata 900 to assist, instruct or solve a users problem may also be sentfrom the communication system 940 or a third location to thecommunication device 920 for use by the user or communication device920.

In one embodiment involving an automobile, the contextual data 900 isused by a caller in an automobile to schedule an appointment for serviceand repair. The driver/owner of the automobile has a car problem andwishes to speak with the appropriate individual to trouble shoot andadvise the driver on steps to be taken. The driver uses a communicationdevice 920 to make contact over the internet to obtain a list of queuesand availability. Contextual data 900 about the automobile is receivedby the central queue location for proper evaluation of the driversneeds. This contextual data 900 may be obtained directly from theautomobile through a communication system 940 with the automobile or maybe obtained through the communication device 920. The communicationdevice 920 may communicate directly to or through the automobile orobtain the automobile information through other means such as from thedriver. The central communication system 940 uses the contextual data900 from the car to decide whether the car problem is immediate, urgentor can be addressed through a regularly scheduled visit. With thisinformation, the driver can be provided with the proper queue data. Thequeue data will provide the estimated wait time or can help schedule acallback time. In the appropriate circumstances, the queue presented tothe driver may be for an emergency person or a mechanic. In certaincircumstances, an immediate callback may occur.

In another embodiment involving an airline ticket machine, the userneeds assistance with a travel problem and has used an airline ticketmachine. In this circumstance, when the user requests the queueinformation, the information about the transaction or attemptedtransaction at the airline ticket machine is passed to the centrallocation, e.g., communication system 940, as contextual data 900. Thisdata may be transferred in several ways, for example the user can enteran ID number from the airline ticket machine and the central location,using data about the user and the identity of the machine, obtainstransaction or attempted transaction information through a look-up ofstored data or directly from the machine. The information obtained fromthe airline ticket machine is then used to determine the appropriatequeue and employee to assist the passenger. More specifically, if theuser is attempting to change seats one queue or attendant may be mostappropriate while if the user was attempting to upgrade to first class adifferent queue or attendant may be provided. If a flight is full and noseat is being assigned, yet another queue or attendant may be assignedto the passenger.

In another embodiment, a purchaser is calling to place a regular order,such as a monthly prescription order or a monthly supplies order. Withcontextual data 900 on the purchaser, the central system, e.g.,communication system 940, will determine whether the call appears to berelated to a regular standing order and if so make available for listingthe appropriate renewal of order queue. When the attendant is on thetelephone, all the regular order information will be available to theattendant to speed the process of filling the purchasers anticipatedrequest. Even if another queue is selected by the purchaser, such astrouble shooting, the attendant will have the contextual data 900available so that the attendant will be aware of he purchasers usualshopping pattern and have some background information available.

In another embodiment involving repair or trouble shooting processes,the contextual data 900 relates to the state or steps in the processthat have been completed or attempted. This data can be obtained fromthe user or directly from the device. It may be obtained from the userthrough the queue selection interface or from the device through acommunication connection such as the interim. Similarly, in an assemblyprocess, contextual data about the serial number of the item and theportions of the item that have been assembled by the user may be sent ascontextual data 900, either by the user or directly through availablecommunications with the device.

Various types of contextual data 900 may be sent from the communicationsystem 940 to the communication device 920. The data may be related tovarious administrative, customer accounts, authentication, ordering,accounting, billing, customer equipment, trouble shooting, and customerservice issues. Contextual data 900 sent by the communication system 940may include for example requests for data or information, request forequipment identification information, equipment schematics, equipmentparts information, warranty information such as expiration date,instructions, assembly steps, billing information such as paymenthistory, minimum payment date, and last payment date and/or amount,payment methods available, and the like. Various interactions betweenthe communication device 920 and communication system 940 may occurusing contextual data. Various interactions with a third location mayoccur. Various ways of using contextual data a 900 re possible, only afew examples are shown.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 1000 foruse with a communication device for selecting a voice call-back. Method1000 includes sending contextual data to a communication system thatselects active queues that are relevant to a user of the communicationdevice based on the contextual data (block 1002). The contextual datamay be created in real-time or recalled from storage. Method 1000further includes receiving a message including a list of the activequeues (block 1004), causing to be displayed an indication of the listof active queues (block 1006), obtaining a user selection of a queue asa selected queue using the session queuing component (block 1008), andcommunicating the selected queue to the communication system (block1010). Method 1000 further includes storing the contextual data in astorage (block 1012). The contextual data in storage can be newlywritten, updated with new information or rewritten after a communicationtransaction or telephone call.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 1100 fora communication system that receives incoming communications from acommunication device, has queues, and will call-back to a communicationreceiving device. Method 1100 includes receiving, from the communicationdevice, data that includes contextual data and an identifier associatedwith a communication receiving device (block 1102), and selecting activequeues that are relevant to a user of the communication device based onthe contextual data (block 1104). Method 1100 further includes sending alist of active queues to the communication device (block 1106),receiving, from the communication device, a selected queue desired forthe communication receiving device (block 1108), and assigning aplaceholder for the identifier in the selected queue (block 1110).

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 1200 fora communication system that receives incoming communications from acommunication device, has queues, and will call-back to a communicationreceiving device. Method 1200 includes receiving an identifierassociated with a communication receiving device (block 1202), receivingcontextual data related to a user (block 1204), and selecting activequeues based on the contextual data (block 1206). Method 1200 furtherincludes sending a list of active queues to the communication device(block 1208), receiving, from the communication device, a selected queuedesired for the communication receiving device (block 1210), andassigning a placeholder for the identifier in the selected queue (block1212).

The above described system represents an exemplary embodiment of aconnection system for sequencing communication device identifiers in aselected queue for connection to a service agent of a group of serviceagents at a business communication center. The present inventionincludes all such equivalents and modifications, and is limited only bythe scope of the following claims.

1. A communication device for initiating a voice call-back comprising: adisplay screen; and a processor in communication with the display screenand configured to: transmit first data to a communication systemrelating to occurrence of a problem; receive data from the communicationsystem comprising an identification of a plurality of active queuesassociated with at least one active provider, wherein at least a portionof the received data is based on the transmitted first data; display theidentification of the plurality of active queues on the display screen;obtain a selection of one of the active queues from a user; and transmitsecond data to the communication system comprising an identifier of theselected queue.
 2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein at leasta portion of the received data is based on information associated with auser of the communication device.
 3. The communication device of claim2, wherein: the transmitted first data comprises information from whichthe identity of the problem can be determined; and the received datacomprises instructions for solving the problem.
 4. The communicationdevice of claim 3, wherein the problem is associated with one of a checkout process of online shopping, operation of a gaming console, andordering of a program for use with a home entertainment device.
 5. Thecommunication device of claim 3, wherein: the problem is associated withan ordering of a program for use with a home entertainment device; andthe communication device is separate from the home entertainment device.6. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising at least onememory comprising an area available for storage of one or more of thetransmitted first data, the transmitted second data, and the receiveddata.
 7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: determine a plurality of active providers thatcan assist with the problem based on the received data; display anidentification of the plurality of active providers; and obtain aselection of one of the plurality of active providers.
 8. A method foruse with a communication device for selecting a voice call-back, themethod comprising: transmitting first data to a communication systemrelating to occurrence of a problem; receiving data comprising anidentification of a plurality of active queues associated with at leastone active provider, wherein at least a portion of the received data isbased on the transmitted first data; displaying the identification ofthe plurality of active queues; obtaining a selection of one of theactive queues; and transmitting second data to the communication systemcomprising an identifier of the selected queue.
 9. The method of claim8, wherein at least a portion of the received data is based oninformation associated with a user of the communication device.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising transmitting encrypted informationassociated with the user of the communication device.
 11. The method ofclaim 8, wherein: the transmitted first data comprises information fromwhich the identity of the problem can be determined; and the receiveddata comprises information assisting with the problem.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the problem is associated with one of a check outprocess of online shopping, operation of a gaming console, and orderingof a program for use with a home entertainment device.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein: the problem is associated with an ordering of aprogram for use with a home entertainment device; and the communicationdevice is separate from the home entertainment device.
 14. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising: determining a plurality of active providersthat can assist with the problem based on the received data; displayingan identification of the plurality of active providers; and obtaining aselection of one of the plurality of active providers.
 15. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising storing at least a portion of one or more ofthe transmitted first data, the transmitted second data, and thereceived data.
 16. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprisingprogram code that, when executed by a communication device, causes thecommunication device to: transmit first data to a communication systemrelating to occurrence of a problem; receive data comprising anidentification of a plurality of active queues associated with at leastone active provider, wherein at least a portion of the received data isbased on the transmitted first data; display the identification of theplurality of active queues; obtain a selection of one of the activequeues; and transmit second data to the communication system comprisingan identifier of the selected queue.
 17. The non-transitory,computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of thereceived data is based on information associated with a user of thecommunication device.
 18. The non-transitory, computer-readable mediumof claim 16, wherein the transmitted first data comprises informationfrom which identity of the problem can be determined.
 19. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein thereceived data comprises information addressing the problem.
 20. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theproblem is associated with an order.
 21. The non-transitory,computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the problem is associatedwith a gaming console.
 22. The non-transitory, computer-readable mediumof claim 16, wherein the problem is associated with ordering of aprogram for use with a home entertainment device.
 23. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprisingprogram code that, when executed by the communication device, causes thecommunication device to: determine a plurality of active providers thatcan assist with the problem based on the received data; display anidentification of the plurality of active providers; and obtain aselection of one of the plurality of active providers.
 24. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprisingprogram code that, when executed by the communication device, causes thecommunication device to store at least a portion of one or more of thetransmitted first data, the transmitted second data, and the receiveddata.
 25. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17,wherein the information associated with the user of the communicationdevice comprises information relating to the urgency or severity of theproblem.